Friday, 28 January 2011

Exorcism and the Church Militant

“Satan is normally ‘hidden’ … but nowadays he is walking tall in
powerful structures of sin like abortion, pornography, sex slavery,
rapacious greed and terrorism,” writes pro-life leader, Catholic priest
and exorcist Reverend Thomas J. Euteneuer in his new book, Exorcism and
the Church Militant.

The devil, says the President of Human Life International, “flexes his
muscles” with “pernicious ideologies like radical feminism and
‘pro-choice’ extremism, the militant homosexual movement and the
aggressive mass media which is the ministry of propaganda for Satan and
all his works and all his empty promises.”

Father Euteneuer has conducted exorcisms in several dioceses around the
United States and spoken to thousands of people on the subject.

In the newly released book, Fr. Euteneuer warns: “Never in all of
history have we seen evil promoted so effectively and the true good so
roundly mocked and rejected as in this age of extreme technological
prowess.” He explains, “the difference between the modern world and
past generations is that Satan has a greater ability to use groups and
institutions for increasing his wicked reach into human life and
society.”

Far from hidden, suggests the exorcist, “Nowadays, objective evil is
displayed out in the open air with impunity, celebrated in the public
forum and strategized in plush board rooms.”

Fr. Euteneuer presents the case that “the devil’s spiritual warfare on
our flocks will intensify as the years proceed and that all Christians,
but especially priests, will have no choice but to engage more deeply in
the spiritual battle for souls.”

“The devil now,” he warns, “arrogates to himself the right to control
the totality of human existence even in so-called free societies: from
manipulating the very act of creation (in vitro fertilization, cloning,
Human Genome); to the authority over life and death (abortion, embryonic
stem cell research, euthanasia); to the definition of human sexuality
and marriage (birth control, divorce, homosexual unions); to the very
prospect of human annihilation (nuclear war, genocide and the impending
New World Order). “

Along with Exorcism and the Church Militant, Father Euteneuer is also
releasing Demonic Abortion, the first of two companion works. This
120-page booklet is a meditation on the evil nature of the abortion
industry, from the perspective of a priest and exorcist who has been
fighting in the pro-life trenches around the world for well over a
decade. With a release date of July 7, 2010, Demonic Abortion is now
available for pre-order.

HERE IS THE INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK:
Introduction (minus footnotes) to Exorcism and the Church Militant

Draw your strength from the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the armor
of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the
devil. Our battle is not against human forces but against the
principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness, the
evil spirits in regions above. You must put on the armor of God if you
are to resist on the evil day; do all that your duty requires, and hold
your ground. (Eph 6:10-13)

The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church has been commissioned by
the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill a most dramatic mission; it is perhaps
the most dangerous and exhilarating of missions ever entrusted to men.
It is the mission of saving souls.

This mission cannot be accomplished without entering into conflict with
“the world, the flesh and the devil.” It is not a mission for the
fainthearted or for those who wish to take the wide road to heaven. It
is the path of warfare, of spiritual battle. And although we know that
Our Lord has fought that battle before us, and won, every age of the
Church must take up arms anew and fight it until the end of time. Let it
be said with certainty that those who embrace wholeheartedly the
Church’s mission to save souls will live a difficult life, one full of
challenges and at times real sorrows, but, at the same time, a life
imbued with immense blessings that accrue only to those who risk
everything for Christ. It is for those who “fight the good fight” for
souls in hand-to-hand combat with the devil that this book is written,
to support, encourage and strengthen them in their conflict with the
forces of evil arrayed against man’s salvation. Theirs is the work of
the Church Militant.

The Real Power of Satan

In today’s day and age, Satan is growing exponentially more powerful due
to the enormity of human sinfulness, and the Church must confront his
power either willingly or unwillingly. Satan is normally “hidden in the
dark sea of human sin and error,” like Leviathan of the Old Testament,
but nowadays he is walking tall in powerful structures of sin like
abortion, pornography, sex slavery, rapacious greed and terrorism. He
flexes his muscles in the massive diffusion of errors and sinful
practices like the doctrines of myriad false religions, pernicious
ideologies like radical feminism and “pro-choice” extremism, the
militant homosexual movement and the aggressive mass media which is the
ministry of propaganda for Satan and all his works and all his empty
promises.

Never in all of history have we seen evil promoted so effectively and
the true good so roundly mocked and rejected as in this age of extreme
technological prowess. Although evil has existed since the dawn of time
and manifested itself to the world, the difference between the modern
world and past generations is that Satan has a greater ability to use
groups and institutions for increasing his wicked reach into human life
and society. No longer is evil just practiced in the haunts of
cemeteries, seedy parlors and hidden covens. Nowadays, objective evil is
displayed out in the open air with impunity, celebrated in the public
forum and strategized in plush board rooms. Whole industries and power
groups are dedicated to its promotion and dissemination, and sometimes
the sheer power of these industries of immorality defies imagination.
They target the younger generations with an immense seductive force, and
the young are almost entirely unequipped to deal with this tyranny of
sin due to unparalleled attacks on faith, marriage, family and innocent
human life in modern times. Not only do young people not know the truth
about their salvation; they don’t even know that they don’t know it.

The 21st century is a moral and spiritual battlefield of such immense
proportions that no era of human history will have ever seen a war like
it. Satan is using the cumulative force of this world’s sinfulness to
re-define life as we know it. Now, this war is not just against trained
combatants. It is total war against all that is sacred and natural. It
is a war against humanity itself, something unseen before in all of
history with the possible exception of atheistic Communism.

The devil now arrogates to himself the right to control the totality of
human existence even in so-called free societies: from manipulating the
very act of creation (in vitro fertilization, cloning, Human Genome); to
the authority over life and death (abortion, embryonic stem cell
research, euthanasia); to the definition of human sexuality and marriage
(birth control, divorce, homosexual unions); to the very prospect of
human annihilation (nuclear war, genocide and the impending New World
Order). Nothing escapes the rebellious forces of hedonism and secularism
in their violent march through our world. They creep into the fabric of
our lives and families like a vapor until they have poisoned the entire
environment and make everyone believe that their toxicity is “normal.”
If the measure of a war’s ferociousness is the number of casualties, the
modern war to exterminate souls is unprecedented in the history of
humanity; it is nothing short of history’s worst nuclear holocaust in
spiritual terms.

Malachi Martin, in the 1992 preface to his book, Hostage to the Devil,
said that “ritualistic Satanism and its inevitable consequence, demonic
Possession, are now part and parcel of the atmosphere of life in
America….such pervasive cultural desolation is the most fertile ground
one could possibly imagine for the causes of Possession to take root and
flourish in almost unimpeded freedom.” It must be kept in mind that
such a frightening observation was made at a time before the advent of
the Internet, the massive diffusion of New Age beliefs and the Harry
Potter books and movies. Martin’s observations suggest that this evil is
so all-encompassing that only the authority of God Himself, borne and
administered by the Church, is adequate to meet this challenge.

The Authority of the Church Militant

We know from our catechism that the whole Church of Christ is not
confined just to this earthly realm. The battle against Satan has
already been won in heaven and purgatory, and only in this earthly realm
is the devil allowed to work. God, in His Mercy, certainly has not
abandoned us to the forces of evil, though. There is one spiritual force
on earth that can counter the hubris of Satan and his apostate angels
and conquer them. That force is the “One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic
Church,” which, in my opinion, has been singularly unprepared for and
unengaged in the hard work of spiritual warfare since the Second Vatican
Council. By this I mean that if the institutional Church on earth were
ever to train its members to be spiritual combatants and aggressively
apply its great authority against the power of evil in this world, the
evils mentioned above would simply not be able to exist in their potency
or scope. As it is, the Church has yet to seriously enter the battle
and become what it is called to be, namely, the Church Militant.

The hour is late, Satan’s forces are already assembled, and the Church’s
army and its officers must stir for battle. The trumpet call of Christ
our Commander beckons. Souls are at stake, and the devil’s only real
hope for victory is that the Church will sit this one out. The devil
certainly “knows that his time is short” and would be much shorter
should the Church of Christ ever take the call to spiritual warfare
seriously. When our Lord healed a paralytic by forgiving his sins and
restoring him to health, the Gospel said that “a feeling of awe came
over the crowd, and they praised God for giving such authority to men.”
Indeed, that spiritual authority has been given to the men of the Church
for the protection, sanctification and saving of souls — it only has to
be used.

Goals of this work

First goal: to communicate a proper understanding of exorcism

The transformation of exorcism into a popular cultural phenomenon in
recent decades has led to a major distortion of both the Church’s
mission to expel demons and the power of the devil. A main concern of
this present work is the taking back of this important pastoral ministry
of the Church from the realm of the internet, movies and tabloids and
placing it back in the hands of priests where it belongs — the true
officers of the Church Militant.

Exaggerated pop images of exorcism falsely define people’s understanding
of the Church’s ancient ritual that is meant to liberate victims of the
devil from these very deceptions. Popular movies like The Exorcist
(1973) and The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), while containing some
truthful elements, have done very little to present a correct picture of
exorcism itself. These movies and others, for the sake of
sensationalizing the power of the devil, present the Church and her
priests as being the underdogs in a fight against the devil and
oftentimes as weak or reluctant combatants. While there are certainly
moments of heroism depicted in these movies, the devil is shown as
powerful and tantalizing, sort of like one who always seems to have the
upper hand against the Church. Nothing could be farther from the truth!
Exorcists are never in a position of subjugation to the evil one during
the course of an exorcism, nor is the devil ever entertaining and
enthralling like he is portrayed in the movies. He is pure evil, and
that is never lost on the one who has to face him down in a possession.

A correct understanding of exorcism can also divest many people of a
dangerous fascination with the occult. No sane person who truly
understands the nature of demons would be fascinated with them or their
works. Due to its mysterious nature, exorcism will never be totally
removed from popular distortions or fear, but priests can assure that
the Church’s rightful patrimony is understood by the faithful and people
who need sacramental assistance against demons. The priest’s work is to
fortify Christians to “reject Satan and all his works and all his empty
promises.”

The organization of the chapters in this book is meant to introduce
people to the diverse dimensions of exorcism. Through a discussion of
the nature of Christ’s high-priestly ministry of exorcism, the nature of
the demonic forces that afflict men and the rightful authority of the
Church over evil, readers will understand better the theological and
pastoral dimensions of exorcism. Furthermore, I have made every attempt
to rely on only the most reputable sources on exorcism from the
tradition and modern writings that are tested and orthodox. I pray that
this work will become a resource for many in their fight against the
forces of evil.

Second goal: to motivate priests

Exorcism is best understood in the context of evangelization and the
care of souls, and, as such, is the proper office of ordained Catholic
priests. As such, the second purpose of this work is precisely to help
Catholic priests recognize that exorcism is a normal and very important
form of pastoral ministry in the care of souls. In times to come,
priests will be increasingly called upon to expel real demons from truly
demonically-afflicted individuals who have, in one way or another,
fallen into the seductions and empty promises of the master deceiver.

Occult influences have been unleashed into our modern world like the
emptying of a demonic Pandora’s Box of unclean spirits. The popularity
of the New Age movement, the rise of Satanism as an organized and
institutionalized force, the flood of satanic video games and Heavy
Metal music, the massive diffusion of occult terminology and images
through the immensely-popular Harry Potter series and other
youth-targeted entertainments, like the rash of modern vampire movies,
assure that Catholic priests will be very busy in the next decade.

To aid priests in a proper understanding of the nature of exorcism, one
chapter explains how exorcisms are actually conducted, which may help to
take away some of the mysticism or fear related to a ritual that any
priest can perform (with the proper authorization). I also attempt to
provide some clarity in the nebulous area of differences between the
ministries of exorcism, deliverance and healing and some practical rules
for discernment of ambiguous cases. Chapter 7 will show priests that
exorcism is a truly pastoral ministry, worthy of their engagement, and
will give them principles and best practices for helping their
parishioners discern the presence and power of evil in their lives. It
concludes with some of my personal recommendations for resources on
spiritual warfare and discernment which will be helpful to any priest
wishing to give people guidance and direction in these matters. The
bibliography included at the end of this book will be a resource for
information on exorcism and deliverance.

This book is essentially for priests, but it may be read with benefit by
any lay person who is interested in spiritual warfare. It offers only
one priest’s point of view but has been written after fairly extensive
consultation with other priests in the ministry and attempts to be as
comprehensive as possible on the subject while keeping the text
relatively short and readable. I have organized six of the seven
chapters in a short question and answer format to facilitate the book’s
use as an ongoing reference source, and not just something that is read
from cover-to-cover. The detailed Index and Table of Contents are given
for this same purpose.

As in all things related to faith and morals, I submit my views on these
matters to the final judgment of the Church’s Magisterium and welcome
any feedback and correction from priests, more capable than I, who are
involved in this ministry. We can all benefit from further fraternal
dialogue on these matters. It is my thesis that the devil’s spiritual
warfare on our flocks will intensify as the years proceed and that all
Christians, but especially priests, will have no choice but to engage
more deeply in the spiritual battle for souls. There is no time like the
present to begin the training.

A Note on Terminology

A final note on terminology: in this work I use the word “exorcism” to
speak about something very particular, albeit complex. Exorcism is often
confused in religious and secular parlance with “deliverance” (which is
defined more distinctly in Chapter 5), but in this book, the term
“exorcism” will always mean what the Church means by it: namely, a rite
for expelling demons from persons who are possessed, authorized by a
bishop and limited by canon law to the ministry of priests. Solemn
exorcism has a long historical development and practice and a
theological grounding in the Tradition of the Church. It should also be
understood that this work only deals with “exorcism” as it applies to
the Roman Catholic Church. There are other expressions and
understandings of exorcism in the Eastern Church and Protestant churches
which I do not attempt to illuminate in any systematic way in this
work.

In this work, I am also very careful about the term possession which
often gets used to describe demonic infestations of a lesser severity.
Too-liberally labeling demonic activity as “possession” creates the
unfortunate impression that the devil has more power over us than he
actually has. The term “possession” will apply to those individuals
whose bodies and faculties are judged by the Church to be fully or
near-fully taken over by demonic forces and who lose most or all of
their freedom to fight the evil one on their own. They need the help of
the Church, and it is these afflicted individuals who are the proper
subjects of the Church’s ministry of solemn exorcism.

Finally, according to custom and general usage, I usually refer to the
devil and his minions with masculine pronouns rather than to try to
encumber the text with neutral pronouns which attempt to describe
spiritual beings as genderless. Since Scripture and Tradition generally
refer to demons with masculine pronouns, that will be sufficient enough
reason to do the same in this work.

St. Michael, Patron of Exorcists

May St. Michael the Archangel, heaven’s exorcist angel, defend us in our
battles against “the principalities and powers, the rulers of this
world of darkness,” help us minister to the many souls who are immersed
in the devil’s darkness, and draw us into the reign of Light of the true
Shepherd of our souls, Jesus Christ.